Spurs win 17th in a row to rally past Clippers

Tony Parker scored 23 points and Tim Duncan added 19 as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 96-86 on Saturday for their 17th NBA victory in a row. The Spurs, who trailed by as much as 24 points early in the game, rallied to seize a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series. They can complete a sweep with a triumph in game four on Sunday in Los Angeles. San Antonio, which has a home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs after Chicago's first-round elimination, won the final 10 games of the regular season and the Spurs have won seven in a row in the playoffs as well. Duncan added 13 rebounds for San Antonio and Parker contributed 10 assists as well. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 points and Argentina's Manu Ginobili scored 13 points for the Spurs. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 28 points, but the hosts went eight minutes in the third quarter without scoring as the Spurs went on a 24-0 run. The Clippers closed the first quarter with a 26-4 run to seize a 27-9 lead but could not hold on to the finish.